Water Bound (46 page)

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Authors: Christine Feehan

BOOK: Water Bound
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Blythe shuddered. “Whatever works. At least you’re eating something healthy.”
They finished the meal with Rikki trying to explain the wonders of peanut butter nutrition and how the calorie intake was just what she needed when she was diving. She actually ate the entire potato, one green bean and a small portion of chicken before she pushed the plate away and indulged in a handful of peanut butter cookies.
They threw away the paper plates and restored the kitchen to the pristine order Rikki needed to feel comfortable in her home. They were wiping every smudge from the counters, when Lev’s radar went off. An owl hooted twice, calling from the trees. The bird took flight, passing silently by the kitchen window.
I see them.
Lev sent the reassurance to his sentinel. “We have company,” he said aloud.
Rikki stiffened, her expression stricken. Lev softened the lighting in the living room, ensuring there were plenty of shadows for him to slide into.
The car came around to the front drive, the first time Lev had ever seen anyone doing that, signaling to him that these visitors were first timers. The sheriff was a tall, well-built man. He parked the car close to the front door and immediately went around to aid his passenger. He stood for a moment looking around carefully, studying the wide moat, the blackened grass shriveled beneath the dark layer of oily water.
The sheriff took the arm of the woman as they walked to the door. He moved with fluid grace, his gaze shifting around the property, although he gave the appearance of giving his full attention to the woman. Lev slipped back to allow Blythe and Rikki to greet them first, wanting to assess the pair before they were fully aware of him.
The woman coming through the door was shockingly beautiful and very pregnant. She smiled shyly at Rikki and hugged her cousin. “Blythe. It’s been too long since we’ve had a good visit. You should drop by more often.” Her voice was musical. Soft like a warm breeze.
Lev recognized power when it walked into the room. Hannah Drake Harrington had been a supermodel for some years, appearing on magazine covers and walking the runways all over the world, yet for all her composure, she seemed just a little hesitant. He read people easily, one of his own gifts, and she was very uncomfortable, although it didn’t show on her face.
The man coming in behind her, one hand on her waist, his face strong, eyes taking in everything, saw Lev immediately and assessed him that quickly.
“Hannah, Jonas, you both know Rikki. This is a good friend of hers, Levi Hammond,” Blythe performed the introductions. “Levi, Jonas Harrington is the local sheriff and Hannah, his wife, is my cousin.”
Rikki actually backed away, toward Lev, her face stark white. She bumped into him and he laid his hands on her trembling shoulders. It was difficult when he was always conscious of keeping his hands free, but she needed his touch.
I’m here
, lubov moya,
you’re safe
. He stroked caresses in her mind even as he reassured her.
Reaching around her, he shook the sheriff’s offered hand. Jonas had a strong grip, but didn’t try any male games, just gave his hand a firm shake and let him go. But he was taking in the way Lev held Rikki as well as noticing Rikki’s obvious agitation.
Hannah smiled gently. “Rikki, how good to see you again. We met a couple of years ago in Judith’s store, remember?”
Rikki nodded and waved her toward a chair. “Thanks for coming over.” Her voice was strained, pitched very low, but she managed to sound hospitable.
“Jonas told me you’d called and I thought it would give me an opportunity to see you, even though it’s a business call,” Hannah said.
It was difficult for her. Lev could hear it in her voice. She had come for Rikki, to make this visit easier on her. Had it been her idea or the sheriff’s? He thought it had been the sheriff. Without warning, Jonas looked straight at him, his shrewd eyes studying him. There was danger there. Recognition.
Lev had never seen Jonas before, but he seemed to recognize Lev. An impossibility. There were no pictures of him. No trace of the man who had died on the yacht. He knew with absolute certainty that they had never met, yet there was recognition on Jonas’s face. He moved away from the sheriff, his hand sliding down Rikki’s arm, tugging her over to a chair away from the light, where he could stand behind her, back in the shadows.
“Have we met, Mr. Hammond?” Jonas asked, taking a seat on the couch beside his wife.
The opening of the game had just begun. Lev shrugged casually. “I would think I’d remember, but I’ve been around on and off for years, so it’s possible.”
Blythe placed a cup of tea on the table beside her cousin and handed the sheriff his. She settled comfortably into a chair facing them. “Thank you for coming. I’ve wanted to talk to you about this matter for some time, Jonas, but we had no proof until tonight.” She told him about Rikki’s parents, the foster homes and finally her fiancé’s death.
Hannah looked close to tears. “Rikki, I’m so sorry. How terrible for you. I had no idea.”
Her reaction was genuine. Lev kept his eyes on the sheriff. Jonas had to know Rikki’s story, yet he hadn’t shared it with anyone, not even his trusted wife. And he did trust her. The love between them was tangible. Jonas Harrington played his cards close to his chest.
Jonas leaned toward Rikki. “He came tonight?”
“It wasn’t the first time,” Lev answered for her. Rikki seemed incapable of speech, a low, strangled sound emerging from her throat. He found her weighted blanket and tucked it around her. She managed a small grateful smile. “He was up on the ridge watching the house about a week ago. I found where he’d been playing with fire. And then the other day, we came in using the back road and found he’d been studying the layout of the farm. I think he contacted the Realtor selling the property next to this one.”
“You didn’t think to call me then?” Jonas asked. His tone was mild, but he gave Blythe a look that was definitely a reprimand.
Lev shrugged. “Rikki needed to be able to come to a decision herself.”
He kept his face in the shadows as he spoke, and he kept his face slightly averted from Jonas, presenting few defining features. His fingers settled around the nape of Rikki’s neck, easing the tension out of her. She was trying, he had to hand her that. He could tell she was following the conversation instead of retreating into her head, but it took a great deal of effort. She kept her hands under the weighted blanket and he knew her fingers were twirling, a compulsion she couldn’t stop when agitated.
“And tonight?” Jonas prompted.
Blythe took up the story. “Rikki always keeps the doors of the house open when anyone she loves is with her. As you can see, when we designed the house, we made certain that with the doors open you can see completely through the house to the outside, front and back. Levi realized the arsonist was out there and went out to confront him.”
“You didn’t call me right away, Blythe?” Again it was a reprimand. Quiet, but the man was very annoyed. “All of you could have been killed.”
Blythe, usually composed, looked away, color staining her cheeks.
Rikki stirred beneath her blanket, her dark eyes going nearly black. “She would never go against my wishes. I was afraid to call you.” Her chin tilted. “I haven’t had much luck getting cops to believe me.”
Jonas nodded. “I can understand that, Rikki. I found a few things in those reports that seemed to be overlooked. I was afraid this man would find you.”
“You knew about all of this?” Hannah asked.
He took her hand as he nodded. “Blythe told us about buying the farm with five other women and...” He shrugged.
“You investigated them,” Hannah concluded.
“Of course.” There was no apology.
Lev liked him for that. He would have done the same thing. “What was overlooked?”
Jonas brought Hannah’s hand to his mouth and kissed her knuckles before releasing her. “Timing for one thing. Her burns were severe in the first fire. She was hospitalized for weeks and then needed special care because she was so traumatized. She wasn’t anywhere near her houseboat when the fire consumed it and killed her fiance. There were several witnesses who saw her down at the harbor cleaning a boat.”
Rikki pressed her hand against her mouth and rocked, speaking behind her trembling fingers. “I was late. It was the first time he’d ever been to my houseboat. I get focused on something and I don’t notice time passing.” She sounded distant, as if she was far away from them. “I should have been there. He was waiting for me. I didn’t realize what time it was until one of the divers asked me where he was. We usually cleaned the boat together, but he wanted to shop for food for dinner.” She looked at Jonas with shocked eyes. “I don’t cook.”
Jonas nodded. “It’s all right, Rikki. I read everything carefully and made notes. I looked them over before I came, that’s why we didn’t get here right away. I think he searches for you and when he finds you, he plans out his fire and then takes action. It took him a while to find you after the first fire. You went from the hospital to a care-taker and then to a foster home. When he found you, he tried to kill you with the same method as before. You were able to alert the family. The couple as well as their son all said you’d saved their lives, but the investigators were suspicious because you were unable to answer their questions satisfactorily. There were a few gaps in your story.”
A tremor ran through Rikki. Blythe stirred, but Jonas sent her a sharp look.
“I’m filling in the blanks with my own guesswork. You were traumatized after losing your parents. Being autistic and needing routine, another fire must have sent you spinning again. You probably were incapable of answering questions.”
“They should have known that,” Blythe said in a low, angry tone.
“I agree.” Jonas kept his eyes on Rikki, obviously judging her abilities to cope with his narration of her past.
Rikki moistened her lips and swallowed hard. “I’m fine. I just want him caught.”
“Again he lost track of you, and I suspect he was growing angry, and that he continued to start fires, although probably not so public ones. I had my brother-in-law check for me and there were several suspicious fires in the city where you grew up. Abandoned warehouses. An empty store. Two dilapidated houses, again empty. Several grass fires. I think he was practicing. Waiting for you and biding his time, keeping himself amused.”
It made sense. Lev had had the same thoughts even without the information. Rikki’s stalker would never be truly happy without his mistress—fire. He would need her, and the need would grow like a craving for a drug until he couldn’t resist and he would succumb to temptation. The cycle would repeat itself over and over. If he had managed to kill Rikki, he would still never be able to stop, although it was likely he told himself that he would.
“He found you a third time, and again, you somehow managed to save the family and everyone got out alive.”
Rikki shook her head and a small sound escaped. She began to slowly rock. “Not everyone.”
Jonas frowned. “Everyone got out, Rikki,” he assured her.
“Not the dog. Not their dog.” She grew more agitated, flapping her hands now, a sure sign she was headed for a breakdown.
Lev crouched down in front of her, uncaring what the others thought.
Look at me lubov moya, see only me. You’re safe with me. If you want to end this, we will. I’ll make them all go.
Her dark eyes found his, and this time, it was Rikki that might have been drowning. She looked frightened, and when he touched her mind, he realized she feared retreating in front of their company more than anything else. This was her home, her haven, and she’d set things up so she could live as comfortably as possible. He took both her hands very gently in his.
It occurred to him that both Hannah and Jonas spoke in low, gentle voices. They had known coming into the house that Rikki was autistic and needed her environment to be as soothing as possible. Jonas had not told his wife about Rikki’s past. Lev was certain Hannah knew Rikki was autistic from her cousin.
“Do you need to take a break, Rikki?” Jonas asked. Lev could have kissed the man. He showed respect for her. Addressed her, not Blythe or him. She blinked several times, took a deep breath and, still looking into Lev’s eyes, shook her head.
“I’m all right.” She mumbled the words, but they were audible in the silence of the room.
Lev moved back behind her, his hand gripping hers, his thumb moving along her wrist.
Jonas resumed talking. “You were safe in the group facility because they kept moving you and he could never know for certain where you were. I can’t imagine that he didn’t try looking and he was probably frustrated. Based on that theory, we looked up the years when you were between sixteen and eighteen, when you were released. There was a cluster of fires, arsons, and this time the homes were occupied.”
At her gasp he shook his head. “The families were away at the time he started the fires, but their houses and everything in them were destroyed. He needed something to feed his addiction. It was growing.”
“And he blamed Rikki,” Lev said. “Why?”

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